[Gdeaver]

The problem with the Colson wheels and other variants is that the outer skin is dense. As soon as that outer layer wears away the under lying material is softer and wears fast. At a certain point the wheel needs to be replaced. AndyMark plactraction wheels offer a good alternative with the tread being replaceable. However we have found that we can't get through a regional with out replacing the conveyor belt treads. It's not desirable to have to replace tread in the heat of competition. The larger size Andymark wheels have been Known to break under high impacts. Like crossing the bump aggressively. This fall our team looked at different better wearing treads for the 4" plactraction wheels we use. We have found that bike tires work well. The key is finding the right tread compound and tread pattern. There are so many different tires that finding the right tire is not easy. We have also found a good way to mount the tire treads to the Andymark wheels. The raw tires are too thin and too stretchy to mount directly to the wheels. No matter what tire a team chooses remember that too grippy a wheel is just as bad as on with out enough traction.